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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27622826">ephemeral (only for a while)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/biscuitbirds/pseuds/biscuitbirds'>biscuitbirds</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Among Us (Video Game), Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alien Impostor(s) (Among Us), Angst, Character Death, Cuddling &amp; Snuggling, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Relationships, Minor Character Death, Parasites, Platonic Cuddling, Short, Short &amp; Sweet, Spaceships</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 16:29:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,362</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27622826</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/biscuitbirds/pseuds/biscuitbirds</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Koushi Sugawara hadn't thought twice about signing up for the Karasuno's voyage to Polus as a medic. He was expecting to bandage some cuts, prescribe some pain meds, and call it day. </p>
<p>He certainly wasn't expecting this.</p>
<p>No one else was, either.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akaashi Keiji &amp; Iwaizumi Hajime, Iwaizumi Hajime &amp; Sawamura Daichi, Nishinoya Yuu &amp; Tanaka Ryuunosuke, Oikawa Tooru &amp; Sugawara Koushi, Sawamura Daichi &amp; Sugawara Koushi, Tsukishima Kei &amp; Yamaguchi Tadashi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Tadashi Yamaguchi, communications, sir,” Tadashi said, brushing his green hair out of his eyes. The captain of the spacecraft Karasuno, the ship that would be his home for the next month, nodded. He was young for a captain, but then again, captains were rarely old in their line of work. Freelance astronauts could only be so old before they were replaced, and Mirai HQ really didn’t have to work hard to replace them. The new generation was eager for work and eager to get away from the Earth, making being an astronaut ideal. It helped that it paid lavishly, and that this new generation seemed less afraid of death than the others.<br/>
</p><p>Some thought that maybe it was what they were waiting for.<br/>
</p><p>“Captain Sawamura. You’ll be working with Lev Haiba and Shouyou Hinata. Lev is your superior; he will instruct you from day two onward. For now, we have lift off, and then the medics have requested help. You up for that?”<br/>
</p><p>Tadashi nodded, shifting his helmet under his arm. “Sure. What would I be doing?”<br/>
</p><p>"Just moving things from storage. They need to stock up the medbay and we don’t have enough time before we take off. Report to storage after we leave the atmosphere; Koushi and Tooru will meet you there.” With that, Captain Sawamura walked off, slipping on his black helmet and turning a corner toward the navigation room. Tadashi sighed, slipping on his own orange helmet, heading off to the launch room. The others should already be there, having boarded in alphabetical order, so Tadashi was left to sit in the only empty seat. The pilots and the captain had their own places in the navigation room, so they weren’t present, but the other fourteen members of the crew took up the seats in the launch room.<br/>
</p><p>Tadashi took the last seat, one next to the door and someone in an orange suit.<br/>
</p><p>"Tadashi?” The person next to him asked, and when Tadashi looked to see them, he felt his heart slam into his ribcage in excitement.<br/>
</p><p>“Kei? I didn’t know you were on this mission!”<br/>
</p><p>“Obviously.” Kei Tsukishima scoffed.<br/>
</p><p>"Sorry, Tsuki," Tadashi murmured. He felt the familiar heat of embarrassment creeping up his cheeks, turning his whole face red. Kei chuckled softly, a quiet thing that never failed to make Tadashi smile. Unfortunately, it also made him feel even more flustered, not helping his coloration in the slightest.<br/>
</p><p>“Well, at least this trip will be bearable now,” Kei sighed out, turning away from Tadashi to buckle into the seat. Tadashi busied himself with the same task, face still tomato red. He averted his eyes from Kei until all he could see was the orange suit matching his own at the edge of his vision. Like always, he was careful to double-check every latch and safety strap before the communication system in his helmet beeped to life, warning him of the time left until takeoff.<br/>
</p><p>The next thing he knew, the countdown stopped, a slight pressure making itself known as the ship broke through the Earth’s atmosphere and drifted safely away from the planet. Then, the launch chamber’s doors were opened, and Captain Sawamura beckoned for everyone to exit. The two in highlighter-pink suits dashed out of the chamber first, sprinting away with a loud whoop. Two other astronauts clad in orange suits stood up and ran into each other immediately, shouting at each other. Sawamura raised an eyebrow, reducing them to grumbles and far gentler shoving.<br/>
</p><p>Tadashi tore his eyes from the departing crewmates. His restraints weren't loosening, his fingers still shaking a bit with adrenaline from the take-off. Apparently he had struggled with the safety restraints just a moment too long, because Kei was sighing from where he stood in front of Tadashi’s seat. He reached forward, taking hold of Tadashi's restraints, methodically clicking latches and pulling on straps. Tadashi felt the flush in his body come back in full force as he watched Kei’s hands undo his restraints, almost forgetting to breathe until Kei was stepping back so </p><p>Tadashi could stand and leave with him.<br/>
</p><p>Once outside the launch chamber, they all found themselves standing in the cafeteria of the ship. There were many different colors of suits present, from yellow, to Kei and Tadashi’s orange, to medic white and fire red. The blue suits of the pilots were nowhere to be seen, but that was to be expected, as the pilot and co-pilot were still piloting the ship away from Mirai HQ. The black of the captain’s suit stood out against the bright colors, just as was intended.<br/>
</p><p>“Report to your stations and at 1800 hours report back to the caf. I will be in either the admin room or the nav. If you need me, check for me there. Dismissed.” Captain Sawamura left for admin, followed by two men in red suits. Kei nodded to him, a smirk on his face as he left for the security room. Tadashi tried to smile in response, mentally berating himself for being so awkward as he made his way to the storage room.<br/>
</p><p>The storage room was long, split down the middle by shelves stocked with different crates, oil barrels, and other miscellaneous supplies. From the cafeteria, one could turn right and head for the electrical room and other parts of the engine, or left toward communications and navigation. Tadashi simply waited at the entrance of the storage room, spying some crates with the typical medic cross on them.<br/>
</p><p>“Hey, Tadashi, right?” A man in a white suit called, pulling off his helmet with a gentle hiss. His hair was silver, his eyes dark, and he looked like he was possibly the nicest person on this ship. At Tadashi’s nod, he continued, “I’m Koushi Sugawara and this is Tooru Oikawa, my cousin. Are you ready to help stock up the medbay?”  Tadashi nodded again, following Koushi’s lead as he grabbed one of the crates, following him down the halls of the ship, passing the engines and reactors filled with laughing crewmates. Tadashi felt a smile twitching on his lips despite his nerves, dropping the crate in the medbay aside Koushi’s. Inside Koushi’s crate were bandages, assorted tapes, and gloves. Tadashi pressed the latches on the sides of his own crate, pulling it open with an audible click, pausing when his entire box seemed to be filled to the brim with knives.<br/>
</p><p>“Uh, Koushi, where do you want the knives?”<br/>
</p><p>“Hm? Oh, over there,” Koushi said, waving at a cabinet next to the med scanner. Tadashi nodded, standing with the crate. As he turned to place it down where he was told, he ran into Tooru, who was also carrying a crate.<br/>
</p><p>“Hey, watch it, newbie,” Tooru snipped, turning to place his crate on an empty cot with a scowl. Tadashi merely stammered out an apology, setting his crate down with a sigh. A knife slipped its way free during the incident, clattering to the ground, and when Tadashi went to pick it up, he hit his head on the med scanner, dropping the knife again. It cut through his glove to his fingers, leaving thin lines of red on them. Tadashi hissed, pulling off his glove carefully.<br/>
</p><p>“Koushi, I think I need one of those bandages,” he called. No one answered, and he looked up to see that the medbay was completely empty. He sighed, grabbing a standard bandaid and slapping it over his finger. Koushi could check it later, but he didn’t think it was bleeding too badly.<br/>
</p><p>He made his way back to the storage room, only barely making it inside before the doors slammed shut and the lights all went out. Someone screamed from somewhere inside the storage room, and while it must’ve been either Koushi or Tooru, Tadashi wasn’t sure which one it was. Maybe it was Tadashi himself. He couldn’t really tell over the rapid beating of his heart, his pulse racing in his ears.<br/>
</p><p>Tadashi felt his way to the shelves, tripping over a loose crate and hissing as his hand slammed into a shelf, aggravating his cuts. It was pitch black, nothing but the deceptively loud sounds of his racing heart and harsh breathing echoing through the room. He attempted to get back to his feet, ignoring the pain in his hand.<br/>
</p><p>The lights flickered.<br/>
</p><p>Tadashi wished they hadn’t.<br/>
</p><p>A glob was moving toward him, what looked like tentacles aiding its journey across the pitch-black storage room. Tadashi tripped backward until he was against a door, banging on it frantically. Wherever Tooru and Koushi were, he hoped they hadn’t made it back to the storage room.<br/>
</p><p>Something slippery touched him, and Tadashi felt his heart stop in his chest. His breath came in quick pants, eyes squeezed shut. No, no, no, he thought, lips remaining firmly pressed together. Something prodded at them, pushing them open without much effort. Tadashi whimpered involuntarily, fear making his breath come in short, pained gasps.<br/>
</p><p>Then, the thing was plunging down his throat, and Tadashi knew nothing more than pain, pain, pain.<br/>
</p><p>In the next moment, the lights flickered back on, the doors sliding open, but something was wrong. He felt weird, like his consciousness was being shifted back away from his body.<br/>
</p><p>It was alarming. Terrifying, really. Nothing quite compared to his body moving without him telling it to, without being able to stop it.<br/>
</p><p>His body moved away from the doors, walking to the back of the storage room. There, Tooru and Koushi stood, both staring eerily at Tadashi. They didn’t speak, not exactly, but the tentacle creeping its way out of Tooru’s suit told Tadashi more than he wanted to know.<br/>
</p><p>If Tadashi had been in control of his body, he would’ve puked. As it was, he couldn’t feel the pain in his fingers anymore. His body picked up another crate with Koushi and Tooru, making its way to medbay.<br/>
</p><p>All Tadashi could do was watch.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Koutarou Bokuto’s yellow space suit was streaked with oil not even a day into his time on the Karasuno. It was mildly annoying—the time it took to scrub oil off the suits amounted to more than an hour—but what Koutarou was more focused on was the way his helmet was refusing to release. He huffed, about to ask his maintenance partner for help when he remembered that not everyone had the specific latch mechanism used on the yellow suits belonging to the crew members of the Fukurodani. They were made to be a little more crew specific since the Fukurodani usually flew with a mixed crew, half their own and half made up of another ship’s members. Keiji would be able to help him with the manual release on his suit, but Keiji was in nav, and that was clear across the ship.<br/>
</p><p>“Hey, Shuuichi, I’m gonna finish this up and drop you by the upper engine so I can go get Keiji’s help with this stupid helmet. It’s sticking weirdly,” Koutarou called, looking over his shoulder from where he was checking wiring and power diversions. Shuuichi popped his head around the corner, an eyebrow raised.<br/>
</p><p>“I could just help you undo it, you know,” he said, and Koutarou barked out a laugh.<br/>
</p><p>“You could try, but this is a Fukurodani suit. They’re built differently. Thanks though!” Shuuichi nodded, ducking back around the corner. Koutarou turned back to the diversion box, pursing his lips. Why was the power going to storage? Nothing there should require that kind of charge. Evidently this ship had its secrets, and Koutarou wasn’t quite liking what that meant.<br/>
</p><p>Shrugging, Koutarou diverted the power from the weapons system and shut the box, locking it behind him. Then, there was a nasty sounding pop, and a little yelp from Shuuichi. The lights went out unceremoniously, the sounds of doors closing further off echoing it, and Koutarou sighed. He could hear screaming off somewhere else in the ship, but he brushed it off. It was probably just Tanaka and Yuu messing around, not anything serious. He flicked on his helmet’s pen light.<br/>
</p><p>“Oi, Shuuichi! What are you doing?”<br/>
</p><p>“Sorry, Koutarou! I was--I mean, I tried--” Koutarou came around the corner, gently pushing Shuuichi out of the way of the electrical box responsible for lights. He carefully popped it open, noting the displaced wire after a few moments of staring at it in the dark. As soon as he pressed it back into place, the lights flickered, but they immediately died out again. Somewhere off in the ship, Koutarou heard a muffled shout of, “Idiot Hinata!”<br/>
</p><p>Shuuichi must’ve hit something else when the lights went out, but that was fine. He shut the box, locking it up and repositioning the light on his helmet. Ah, one of the switches had been flicked. An easy fix. He hit the switch, and the lights flickered on with a hum. Koutarou heard the storage doors slide open with a hiss, and he smiled. All fixed, then.<br/>
</p><p>“Alright, to the upper engine!” Shuuichi gave him a sheepish smile, his face red in embarrassment.<br/>
</p><p>“Sorry, Koutarou! I didn’t mean to.”<br/>
</p><p>Koutarou grinned back, reaching a hand out to ruffle the kid’s hair. “It’s alright! You’re new, you just gotta learn the ropes! Just, uh, don’t screw up anything in the engines. Then you might have to talk to Tanaka or Yuu about leaving the ship.”<br/>
</p><p>Shuuichi’s face went white, the smile disappearing. “Leaving… leaving the ship?”<br/>
</p><p>Koutarou was careful to keep his face neutral, nodding solemnly. “Yes. We can’t have anyone sabotaging the mission now, can we?” At Shuuichi’s frantic head-shake, Koutarou broke out in what some would call obnoxious laughter. “I’m kidding! They just have to do a manual reset outside the ship. They’re trained for it.”<br/>
</p><p>The obvious relief on Shuuichi’s face set Koutarou’s laughter off again, and he placed an arm around Shuuichi’s shoulders as he began the walk out of the electrical room. Before they got out of the door, the two medics and one newbie walked by, all carrying crates. They must’ve been why he’d heard screaming from storage, then, not just because of Yuu and Tanaka’s antics.<br/>
</p><p>“Hey, you guys alright? Sorry about the power shortage!” There was no response, all three of them continuing their walk without a word. “Hello?” There was still no response, and Koutarou shook his head. “Not the friendliest people.”<br/>
</p><p>He and Shuuichi started for the upper engine, Koutarou yelling a hello to Tanaka and Yuu as he passed the reactor. They responded, because of course they did, with an overly aggressive scream. It sounded more like someone had murdered them than anything, and Koutarou grinned. Shuuichi’s face somehow only became more ashen when Koutarou told him that those were the guys allowed off-ship.<br/>
</p><p>Scarcely a few seconds later, they came upon the upper engine. “Just calibrate it and take the readings listed. The results will be given to the admins to be sent to the HQ. See you in fifteen, ‘kay?”<br/>
</p><p>Shuuichi nodded, a determined look on his face, and Koutarou waved as he left. The door to the medbay was left open, but Koutarou didn’t attempt to talk to them this time. They were busy unloading crates, and it didn’t seem that they enjoyed being distracted mid-task. So he continued his walk, strolling through the cafeteria, past the crew’s quarters, the O2 station, and finally, to the door of the nav.<br/>
</p><p>He knocked quickly on the door. “AKAASHI!” Koutarou yelled, listening for the shuffling that indicated he’d be allowed in to see his Keiji. Heh. His Keiji.<br/>
</p><p>The door slid open, sending Koutarou falling forward, directly into Keiji, who caught him with ease. Keiji sighed, but Koutarou ignored it in favor of throwing his arms around his favorite pilot.<br/>
</p><p>“Keiji!”<br/>
</p><p>“What do you need, Koutarou?” Ah, that was Keiji. Straight to the point.<br/>
</p><p>“Helmet’s sticking,” Koutarou explained, stepping back a little bit. “Can you help me? Please?”<br/>
</p><p>Keiji nodded, beckoning for him to bend down a little so he could access the latches on the neck of the spacesuit. Koutarou did as asked, bending and waiting as Keiji worked.<br/>
</p><p>“Koutarou, how did you even—you know what, I don’t want to know,” Keiji muttered, handing him what looked like a random wire from the electrical room. Huh. Maybe that's why Shuuichi had been struggling so much with his simple tasks. He was missing an entire wire!<br/>
</p><p>Keiji gently pulled his helmet off, handing it to Koutarou.<br/>
</p><p>“Thank you, Keiji!” Koutarou exclaimed, hugging him once more. “I have to get back to Shuuichi, but I’ll see you tonight!”<br/>
</p><p>“We share bunks, Koutarou. Of course you’ll see me tonight.” Koutarou just grinned, dashing down the hall with a wave. Keiji was the absolute best.<br/>
</p><p>As he made his way back to the upper engine, he noticed that the medbay doors were closed. Just as well, they seemed to like their privacy. It wasn’t as if they could’ve been shut without the medics wanting them to, because Shuuichi wasn’t in the electrical room. All he could tamper with were the engine’s controls or maybe the report. Nothing with immediate consequences could be done this far out in space.<br/>
</p><p>“Shuuichi!” Koutarou practically sang as he entered the upper engine, helmet tucked under his arm. “I found a wire you might’ve been missing!” There was no response. “Shuuichi? Hey, bud, where are you?” Koutarou stepped around the guard rails in the center of the room, making his way to the schematics board. The room seemed colder somehow, and Koutarou made a mental note to check the ship’s temperature controls. He should show Shuuichi how to use that; usually the training courses skipped that, for some reason.<br/>
</p><p>Koutarou stopped dead in his tracks.<br/>
</p><p>There, slumped against the wall and the guard rails, was the mangled body of none other than Shuuichi Anahori.<br/>
</p><p>And it was missing a head.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Koushi Sugawara signed on as a ship medic aboard the Karasuno, he was expecting an easy, peaceful space trip with his cousin, Tooru Oikawa. He was expecting to bandage a few cuts, maybe even set a few bones. He was ready to need to prescribe painkillers and fever-reducers.<br/>
</p><p>He was not expecting for his body to be taken over, for his consciousness to be tossed to the back of his head as if it was never meant to inhabit his body in the first place.<br/>
</p><p>He wasn’t expecting for the intruder to apologize.<br/>
</p><p>“I am sorry,” something said in his mind. It sounded soft, like a whisper. “If I had been left alone longer, I would have died.”<br/>
</p><p>No one could really fault Koushi for not responding immediately, nor the thing for simply taking over the task Koushi had been working on, picking up a crate and beginning the walk down the halls. Koushi knew where to go, and that meant the thing did, too. So it was careful as it handled the crate, careful to hold it up so as to not bump Koushi’s legs, careful as it set the crate down, careful as it removed the lid and pulled out a bottle of acetaminophen. Koushi’s consciousness reacted to that, strangely enough, and he nudged at the thing, trying to get it to put the container in a cabinet at the back of the room. The thing did as Koushi requested, though nonverbally, and continued putting away assorted medications, still controlling Koushi’s body, yet listening. Always listening, it seemed.<br/>
</p><p>“Hello?” Koushi asked, his voice clear in his mind.<br/>
</p><p>“Hello. I am sorry for startling you,” the thing responded, it’s voice still whisper-like and sweet. “Are you okay?”<br/>
</p><p>“Well, you’re in my body. You tell me.” The thing seemed to retreat a little at that, almost like it was feeling around Koushi’s body for an answer. Koushi realized with a start that it was, because there were little white tendrils-tentacles-things gently running over Koushi’s body, even his face.<br/>
</p><p>“I am sorry. I do not know how your body works, exactly.” It confessed, the tendrils retracting.<br/>
</p><p>“Maybe give me back control over my body, then?” Koushi suggested none-too-gently, ready to be able to feel again. It was disorienting, being unable to control his own arms and legs and eyes and body.<br/>
</p><p>“I am sorry. I cannot do that.”<br/>
</p><p>“Why not?” There was a pause, a very long pause before the thing answered.<br/>
</p><p>“I need to go home. To Polus.” Polus? Why did that sound familiar to Koushi? He shook himself mentally, trying to keep on track. He had to figure this out.<br/>
</p><p>“Why are you on this ship?”<br/>
</p><p>“I do not know. I was frozen in a bin. Bin G,” jarringly, Koushi realized he could see the thing's memories. It was in a bin, alone and cold in the dark. “The bin malfunctioned while you were in the storing facility. I had to bond, otherwise I would have died.”<br/>
</p><p>“So you’re a parasite?” Koushi pressed. Oh, the thing did not like that.<br/>
</p><p>“I am not a parasite.” The thing said quickly, the whisper-voice coming out harsh. Koushi felt the thing reel back from him, as if it was trying to put as much space as possible between itself and Koushi while still remaining in Koushi’s body.<br/>
</p><p>“You took over my body. You require me to live. You’re a parasite.”<br/>
</p><p>“I am no such thing! I can help you.”<br/>
</p><p>Koushi stopped, his thoughts screeching to a halt. “How can you help me?” The thing was silent, tugging at Koushi’s consciousness as to where it should put a specific bottle. Koushi nudged it the right direction, sighing mentally. “Well, why can’t I have control over my body?”<br/>
</p><p>“You’ll try to get rid of me,” it said, voice shaking just a little, as if it were uncertain.<br/>
</p><p>“If I promise not to get rid of you, can I have control over my body?”<br/>
</p><p>“How do I know you’ll keep your word?”<br/>
</p><p>“Well, you can always take back over, can’t you?” The thing was quiet, and then Koushi felt a shifting in his consciousness before he was shoved to the front. It was almost overwhelming, the sudden ability to feel the bottles beneath his fingers, smell the sterile antiseptic scent of the medbay, and taste the remnants of that morning’s coffee. Ew. Coffee breath.<br/>
</p><p>“Is that what that is? What’s coffee?” Koushi stopped in his tracks, hand stilling with the bottle halfway to the shelf.<br/>
</p><p>"You’ve never had coffee?”<br/>
</p><p>“No. I’m from Polus. We don’t have coffee there.” Koushi supposed that made sense, shrugging his shoulders and reveling in the ability to feel it.<br/>
</p><p>“Well, I’ll get some tomorrow morning. You can taste it then.” He paused, thinking. “What’s your name?”<br/>
</p><p>“I don’t have one, Koushi Sugawara,” the thing responded, and Koushi scrunched up his nose.<br/>
</p><p>“You can call me Koushi. Or Suga. You don’t need to use my full name.”<br/>
</p><p>“Okay,” it said. “Would you give me a name?”<br/>
</p><p>“Let me think about it,” Koushi responded, closing the cabinet and locking it. No one needed to open that cabinet save for himself and Tooru.<br/>
Tooru.<br/>
</p><p>“Do you know the alien that bonded with Tooru?” Koushi asked, almost desperate. If anything bad happened to Tooru, he wasn’t sure what he would do. He imagined there were much worse parasites than his.<br/>
</p><p>“Not a parasite,” the thing grumbled, and Koushi could almost see it pouting in his mind’s eye. Koushi grinned, shaking his head.<br/>
</p><p>“Sorry. But do you?”<br/>
</p><p>“Yes. It is… it will be good to Tooru. It understands.” There was a sudden silence from the thing, and Koushi felt his eyebrows push together, worried. Then, the thing continued, “Your green friend is not so lucky. Bin G was with Bin E and Bin H. Bin E is with Tooru. Bin H… Bin H has one of Bin E’s kind. They are not usually so friendly.”<br/>
</p><p>Koushi hummed, noting the way the thing seemed to settle a little. “You said you were in Bin G, right?”<br/>
</p><p>“Yes, that is correct,” the thing said, sounding almost sleepy.<br/>
</p><p>“Could you cut that out?” Yamaguchi’s body snapped. The sound was abrasive coming from him, a boy who would rather apologize than ever say anything rude. Koushi stopped humming, suddenly silent. The thing inside him shifted, suddenly aggravated, and Koushi watched Tadashi stomp off angrily.<br/>
</p><p>“Shh. It’s okay. Anyway, I was thinking ‘Benji’?” The thing was quiet for a moment, and then it shifted and tendrils of white were snaking their way around his waist for a gentle squeeze. </p><p>“What are you doing?”<br/>
</p><p>“This is a hug. A sign of affection or appreciation. Correct?” Benji could see his memories, too, it seemed. Koushi felt a smile creeping onto his face, sudden slight affection for the thing—Benji—creeping into his heart. He’d always been a softy, easily attached, and apparently that wasn’t going away any time soon.<br/>
</p><p>“Yeah, that’s correct, Benji.” Koushi felt Benji’s happiness seeping into his mind, and the smile spread across his face.<br/>
</p><p>“What on Polus are you smiling about, Sub-Light?” Tooru?<br/>
</p><p>“What’s a Sub-Light?” Koushi asked, and then shook himself internally. “Switch with me, Benji.”<br/>
</p><p>Benji did, and Koushi felt the control over his body gently pull away as opposed to the harsh rip he had felt earlier. “My species. We lived in the zone without light, hence the light coloration. Bin E is a Light. He lived with the sun, so he needed to be dark.”<br/>
</p><p>“Oh, okay. Did you not get along?”<br/>
</p><p>“Suga is nice,” Benji said aloud. “He named me.”<br/>
</p><p>“Oh? What is your name, then?”<br/>
</p><p>“Benji!” Suga’s body said proudly, turning to face Tooru, who was watching him with a tiny smile on the corners of his lips. It looked strange on Tooru, because for as long as Koushi had known him, he smiled with his whole face. It was all or nothing with him, the flattery usually working to his advantage, so he’d never had a reason to stop.<br/>
</p><p>“Can I meet him?” Tooru’s body asked, and Koushi felt Benji prodding at him mentally.<br/>
</p><p>“Are you okay with that, Suga?”<br/>
</p><p>“Sure,” Koushi responded, and just like that, Benji handed over the reins to Koushi’s body. The adjustment was still weird, but it felt a little more comfortable than the first few times.<br/>
</p><p>“Hello, Tooru’s… thing.”<br/>
</p><p>“Thing? Really?”<br/>
</p><p>“Well, I can’t call you a parasite, now can I?” Benji went back to sulking.<br/>
</p><p>“Hello, Suga,” Bin E responded. “You seem to be getting along fine with Benji.”<br/>
</p><p>“He is very… considerate, for someone who took over my body.” Benji let out a wail in the back of his mind, and Koushi smiled amusedly. Bin E didn’t seem to mind his phrasing, simply shutting a cabinet before turning to Koushi again. “Can Tooru hear me, or did you block him out?”<br/>
</p><p>“He can hear and see you. I simply have control. He has threatened to, how did he put it, “end your suffering with internal bleeding up the donkey butt.” I am unsure as to what a donkey is or what it has to do with this, but he has also said that he will kill himself to be rid of me.” Bin E shifted uncomfortably. “He is shouting at me. I simply wish for both of us to survive.”<br/>
</p><p>Suga snickered slightly, shaking his head. “Tooru’s just a drama queen. He wouldn’t unalive you, right, Tooru?” Evidently, Tooru answered to the negative. His face was screwed up worriedly, body stiff as if afraid one wrong move would end in death. Koushi sighed, shaking his head. </p><p>“Look, he’s just scared. I’m sure you can feel it.”<br/>
</p><p>Bin E slowly nodded. “I do not mean to be intimidating.”<br/>
</p><p>“You took over his body. What did you expect would happen?”<br/>
</p><p>Bin E was silent for a moment, and then Tooru was launching himself at Koushi.<br/>
</p><p>“Kou-chan you have to help me. Koushi please, please, please,” he said nearly incoherently. Koushi pulled him down into a hug, shushing him gently.<br/>
</p><p>“Tooru, it’s alright. It’s okay. Bin E won’t hurt you. Right, Bin E?” A black tendril snaked its way out of Tooru’s suit, appearing to nod, making Tooru scream. It shrunk back. “Tooru, stop screaming!” Koushi yelled, grabbing at Tooru’s face, forcing him to look Koushi in the eyes. He did stop, breathing heavily, brown eyes wide and terrified. “Tooru, it won’t hurt you. You have to stay alive for it to be alive, and it knows it.”<br/>
</p><p>“But--But why--”<br/>
</p><p>“Shh. Calm down. You’re scaring all of us.” Tooru’s breathing slowly began to even out, his death grip on Koushi’s wrists--when had he done that--relaxing. “There you go. It’s alright.”<br/>
</p><p>“How is any of this alright, Kou-chan?” He whispered, as if everyone in the room wouldn’t hear him. “They took over our bodies. Our bodies, Koushi. The one thing that belongs to you since birth. And you’re okay with it?”<br/>
</p><p>Koushi contemplated it for a moment, feeling Benji roving nervously in his mind, tendrils appearing and disappearing randomly. “No, I’m not okay with it. But I will be.” That was enough for Benji, who immediately settled.<br/>
</p><p>Tooru took a deep breath, his brow furrowing. “Okay. Okay.”<br/>
</p><p>“But seriously, can you please name Bin E.”<br/>
</p><p>“Why?”<br/>
</p><p>“Because I don’t know what to call it, and Bin E is too wordy!”<br/>
</p><p>“Fine. You’re Earl, weird parasite.” Based on the sudden wince Tooru demonstrated, Bin E took to that term as Benji did.<br/>
</p><p>Horribly.<br/>
</p><p>“Okay. Okay. So, we need to finish stocking up the medbay, and then we need to figure out where this ship is headed.”<br/>
</p><p>Just as Koushi said that, the doors to the medbay slid open with a loud hiss, and in walked Yamaguchi with his possessed body. He smelled horribly, and when Koushi felt Benji prod at his mind, asking for permission to take over, Koushi granted it. He could feel Tooru shifting next to him, and Koushi knew that if Tooru was in control, he would have likely fainted.<br/>
</p><p>The second Benji took over, Koushi knew he could smell it, too. The metallic scent of blood, the stench of iron and bodily fluids were thick in the air. There was no visible appearance of blood, waste--nothing on Yamaguchi’s body. It was then Koushi realized exactly what he was smelling.<br/>
</p><p>It wasn’t Yamaguchi who stank. It was something further off, like the parasites could smell more than humans could.<br/>
</p><p>Koushi wished they couldn’t.<br/>
</p><p>Someone was dead, and it was Yamaguchi who killed them.<br/>
</p><p>And they couldn’t tell anyone how they knew.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kei Tsukishima never would have taken Tadashi Yamaguchi for a killer. For his entire life, Tadashi had been rather shy, sweet, and gentle. He was bullied when he was little, sure, but Kei had tried to stop it. It shouldn’t have amounted to this.<br/>
</p><p>No matter how sweet Tadashi was, it couldn’t change what Kei had seen on the cams. He had watched Shuuichi and Koutarou make their way to the upper engine, watched Koutarou pass the medbay and go through the cafeteria. He’d watched Koutarou appear on the camera outside of the nav. Then, his attention switched back to the camera outside of the security room. Kei left the doors closed, especially when Tobio wasn’t around, because there was safety in numbers and locked doors. Therefore, he hadn’t seen Tadashi in person, only on the cameras. Tadashi walked a little differently than normal, no crate in his arms even though he’d been in storage moments prior with the goal of collecting another crate. That was weird enough, but when Tadashi was too slow to make it to the next camera, it got weirder. It meant Tadashi had stalled in the upper engine. That was exactly where Shuuichi was, Kei realized.<br/>
</p><p>Did Tadashi know Shuuichi?<br/>
</p><p>A few minutes passed, and Kei was about to leave his post to check on them when Tadashi reappeared on the cameras. He was finally making his way to medbay, but something was wrong. There was a dark patch on Tadashi’s orange spacesuit. Kei had hoped it was only oil from the engines, but it looked a little strange.<br/>
</p><p>Kei tried to dismiss it, looking at the camera feed and watching as Koutarou reappeared outside of the nav. Then, he waited for Koutarou to appear on the cam outside the medbay. He did, and then he stopped in the upper engine.<br/>
</p><p>A few moments later, Kei’s helmet communicator beeped to life, an emergency meeting sound blaring through it before Koutarou’s shaky voice cut through.<br/>
</p><p>“There’s a dead body in the upper engine. Someone murdered Shuuichi. Someone killed him. He’s gone. He doesn’t even have his head!” Koutarou wailed, and then the sound of retching echoed over the link.<br/>
</p><p>“I’m coming, Koutarou. Hold on.” Keiji’s steady voice reassured, and Kei watched, a sick feeling in his stomach as Keiji appeared and disappeared, reappeared and re-disappeared all over again near the medbay.<br/>
</p><p>“Bring the body to the caf,” Captain Sawamura said decisively. Kei had to wonder how many crewmates had died with him before. “He’ll fit out the trash chute. Everyone else remain at your stations.”<br/>
</p><p>There was a loud wail from Koutarou before his communicator cut off, muted. Kei watched as Koutarou, tears dripping down his cheeks, and Keiji, deadly silent with a stone cold look about him, carried Shuuichi’s headless body. It was a gruesome sight, yet Kei found it hard to look away from the video feed.<br/>
</p><p>A few minutes later, the captain’s voice came over the comms again. “Everyone report to the cafeteria. This is mandatory. If you do not report, there will be consequences.”<br/>
</p><p>Kei watched as everyone walked past different cameras for a moment before leaving himself, closing security behind him. He passed through the upper engine, scrunching his nose up at the smell of bile, human excrement, and the overwhelming stench of blood. He didn’t envy the one who would have to clean that mess.<br/>
</p><p>In the cafeteria, everyone sat stiffly. The only one who didn’t was Koutarou, who still had tears streaming down his face, leaning into Keiji, who sat next to him with his arms wrapped around him. The medics and Tadashi all sat together, and Kei noticed that the dark splotch on Tadashi’s spacesuit was gone. They all had blank faces, the one with silver hair holding hands with the other, who looked a little paler than he had been that morning. The admin and communications crewmates stood in a clump, a smaller boy in an orange suit with equally orange hair clinging to a red-suited, bottle-blond admin. The other admin stood with an arm around each of them, the last red-suited communicator standing behind all three of them, sticking close all the same. Tobio made his way over to Kei, stopping next to him with a solemn nod.<br/>
</p><p>In the front of the room stood Captain Sawamura, the pilot, and the two special maintenance members. The Captain’s helmet was off, tucked under his arm, as was the pilot’s helmet. They both looked furious, their dark eyes scanning each and every member of the screw with a special kind of scrutiny. Kei looked away when they looked at him, eyes focused on the floor at their feet.<br/>
</p><p>It was at that moment that Kei noticed the blood smeared on the floor and the edging of the trash chute. “He’ll fit out the trash chute” echoed in his brain, and Kei found himself swallowing down the bile at the back of his throat. It made sense, it was logical, but the thought of a headless human floating out in the cold abyss of space left him nauseous.<br/>
</p><p>“Shuuichi was a new member to our crew, to any crew. He was a good kid. We’ll miss him,” Captain Sawamura said, glancing briefly at Koutarou, who was hiccuping with every few shaking breaths. Then, his tone turned solemn. “Who was around before the time of death.”<br/>
</p><p>One of the pink-suited special maintenance members raised their hand like a child in a classroom. It was Yuu Nishinoya, if Kei wasn’t mistaken, based on the height and streak of blonde hair. “Tanaka and I saw him with Koutarou about fifteen minutes before he called the body. He was gonna run some diagnostics on the upper engine.”<br/>
</p><p>Captain Sawamura nodded, turning his gaze to Koutarou. “I know you are still shocked, but can you tell us what happened?”<br/>
</p><p>Koutarou hiccuped again, nodding. “Shuuichi--well, he is--was, brand new. I was telling him what to do, and I left him for a few minutes--it was only a few minutes, just so Keiji could help me get my stupid helmet off, and then when I came back, he--he was--”<br/>
</p><p>“That’s alright, Koutarou. Keiji, can you confirm this?” The captain asked, and at Koutarou’s miserably betrayed expression, his face softened. “We just need to be sure, Koutarou. I, personally, do not believe it is you.”<br/>
</p><p>Keiji nodded, resting a hand on Koutarou’s knee. “Yes. He had a wire stuck in his helmet, it was not allowing proper release. The Fukurodani’s suits were always a little tricky, so it makes sense.”<br/>
</p><p>“Thank you. I can also confirm his story, since I was in nav at that time. Kei Tsukishima and Tobio Kageyama. Were either of you on cams after Koutarou left the upper engine?”<br/>
</p><p>“I was not,” Tobio said, shaking his head. “Hinata and I had trash duty this morning.” He glared at the small redhead, getting just as good as he gave as far as glares went, but the redhead stayed silent. He was shaking, Kei realized, fine tremors wracking his body. Captain Sawamura’s gaze shifted over, over, over until he was staring directly into Kei's eyes.<br/>
</p><p>“I was, but the cams malfunctioned in that hallway after I saw Koutarou exit,” Kei lied smoothly, eyes never once leaving the captain’s. “Anyone wishing to murder Shuuichi would have to have come from the direction of the cafeteria.”<br/>
</p><p>Captain Sawamura nodded, eyes lingering on Kei’s for a moment before sliding over to the admins. “Did any of you see anyone in the cafeteria?”<br/>
</p><p>“I didn’t,” Tetsurou Kuroo said, shaking his head. “I doubt Kenma did, either. Koutarou didn’t stop by, and Ken had headphones on.” Kenma paused, cat-like eyes boring into the captain’s soul for a mere moment before turning Shouyou.<br/>
</p><p>“Shouyou and Tobio passed admin half an hour ago. They were headed down to communications. It’s not them,” he murmured, and then he leaned into Tetsurou, closing his eyes.<br/>
</p><p>Captain Sawamura hummed, looking to the medics. “Where were you two?”<br/>
</p><p>“We were unpacking in the medbay all morning. It’s standard procedure, Captain,” Koushi said, gripping Tooru’s hand a little tighter. “You can check the scanning log. We never even heard Koutarou pass the doors.”<br/>
</p><p>“That’s correct. Koushi and I were working on the medication crates,” Tooru added, gaze steely as he looked at the captain, who glanced down for a moment before his gaze flicked back up.<br/>
</p><p>“That leaves Lev and Tadashi unaccounted for,” the captain said. Lev immediately tensed up, shaking his head.<br/>
</p><p>“I was alone in communications. Kenma went with me this morning. There should only be one scan-in at the door. I swear!” Lev insisted, looking to Kenma with pleading eyes. The admin’s eyes lazily slid open, and he nodded.<br/>
</p><p>“I did,” Kenma said, quietly, and then his eyes shut again, seemingly done with the conversation.<br/>
</p><p>“Tadashi, where were you?”<br/>
</p><p>“In storage. I was collecting another crate for the medbay,” Tadashi said. His voice was monotonous, wooden.<br/>
</p><p>Cold.<br/>
</p><p>“Kei, can you confirm he never passed security?” Kei swallowed down the bile in his throat. He met Captain Sawamura’s gaze.<br/>
</p><p>“Tadashi never passed security,” he said. Tadashi met his eyes across the room.<br/>
</p><p>Cold.<br/>
</p><p>Kei shivered.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Tadashi, Tooru, Yuu, Tanaka, and Kei are our main suspects,” Captain Sawamura said, taking a swig of his coffee before setting it on his desk in the nav. Hajime Iwaizumi and Keiji Akaashi, the pilot and copilot, respectively, sat at their respective stations. Hajime set down his own coffee cup, raising an eyebrow.<br/>
</p>
<p>“Someone was missing from that list, and they sure as hell don’t have any more of an alibi than the others,” he said, unimpressed.<br/>
</p>
<p>“Impartiality, Daichi,” Keiji said, not even looking up from his terminal. Daichi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.<br/>
</p>
<p>“Koushi… he, it’s complicated. He couldn’t have killed anyone.”<br/>
</p>
<p>“No,” Hajime said, eyes sharp. “You wish he couldn’t have. He has the same capability as everyone else on this ship. If not more. He’s a medic, he knows the ins and outs of the human body. Beheading someone would probably be easier for him than anyone else on this ship.”<br/>
</p>
<p>Daichi squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. “Unfortunately, so could Tooru,” he said, and Hajime’s shoulders tensed.<br/>
</p>
<p>“Personal feelings should not affect the suspects list,” Keiji said, voice soft. “No matter how much you might wish otherwise.”<br/>
</p>
<p>“Well, at least we know your precious Koutarou is innocent,” Hajime said, and then he stopped. “No, we don’t actually. He could have killed Shuuichi when he arrived back, or before he left. It could’ve been a self report.”<br/>
</p>
<p>Keiji nodded, not meeting Hajime’s eyes. “I know. But unlike you two, I know Koutarou very well. He is not simply a handsome stranger. He’s been with me for years.” Keiji turned back to his terminal. “It’s not him. He wouldn’t have the heart to kill someone.”<br/>
</p>
<p>“Well, there’s also the matter of the missing head,” Daichi reminded them, and both of the pilots sighed. “What? How did they just make the head disappear? There isn’t a trash chute anywhere near the upper engine, so they would’ve had to carry a human head and a helmet into the cafeteria and deposit it there. Either that, or it’s stashed somewhere else in the ship.”<br/>
</p>
<p>Keiji looked a little pale at the reminder, shaking his head. “I don’t know. I don’t want to think about it.”<br/>
</p>
<p>“Easy, Keiji. Don’t lose your lunch,” Hajime teased, turning to look at Daichi again. “I don’t know how anyone could’ve gotten away with it in the first place. The cams might’ve been down, but the medbay is right there. Someone would’ve heard something.”<br/>
</p>
<p>Daichi hummed, taking one last sip of his coffee before chucking it in a waste bin. “I am going to go question the medics. Maybe they did hear something but were afraid to come forward.”<br/>
</p>
<p>Hajime shook his head, turning back to his terminal. “Well, don’t come crying to me if Koushi fesses up. Oh, wait, you’d be dead.”<br/>
</p>
<p>Daichi rolled his eyes, jamming his helmet over his head before he left the nav. He went left, deciding to check on the communications station early, since Shouyou had been rather stressed at breakfast that morning, refusing to eat. Even Kenma had been concerned, but the kid had just grabbed onto Lev’s arm as they left for communications, refusing to be separated from him.<br/>
</p>
<p>Yeah, it was probably best to check in on the kid.<br/>
</p>
<p>Daichi knocked on the door to communications, waiting a moment before it slid open to reveal Lev, a shaking Shouyou pressed against his back, almost completely hidden from sight. Daichi quirked an eyebrow amusedly.<br/>
</p>
<p>“I see you’ve got quite the koala, Lev,” he said, and Lev blushed a bright red immediately, rubbing the back of his neck.<br/>
</p>
<p>“Ah, well, we’re both rather nervous, Captain. I don’t suppose you’ve seen Tadashi today?” Lev asked, and Daichi nodded.<br/>
</p>
<p>“Yes, he was helping the medics finish up. I’ll send him to you once I get there,” he said. “I was just checking in on you two. Try to relax a little. We know it’s not either of you.”<br/>
</p>
<p>Lev nodded, a hand grabbing onto one of Shouyou’s, stilling the shaking. “Thank you, Captain. We’re fine here.”<br/>
</p>
<p>With that, Daichi left, watching the door hiss shut behind them. The ship’s hallways were almost eerily quiet compared to the previous day, Yuu and Tanaka silent. Even Koutarou’s obnoxious yelling and boisterous personality was subdued, and for good reason. He was alone for his tasks, save for the occasional interaction with Yuu and Tanaka.<br/>
</p>
<p>Daichi stopped in the electrical room, poking his head through the doorway, only to find the room utterly empty. He ducked back out, walking down the halls to find Koutarou sitting between Yuu and Tanaka on the floor of the reactor, sniffing. They all scrambled to their feet when Daichi stopped, but he waved them off.<br/>
</p>
<p>“No, it’s okay. You do need to do your jobs, but it’s okay to rest with your crewmates. I know it’s been rather… a traumatic flight,” he said, and Koutarou nodded, hugging Yuu to his chest, burying his face against Tanaka’s shoulder. Yuu let out a strangled yelp, flailing a little as he tried to loosen Koutarou’s arm to no avail. He frowned, patting Koutarou’s arm.<br/>
</p>
<p>“C’mon, I can’t breath. You’ll be proven the murderer if this continues--” Koutarou dropped him, a choked noise escaping him. “No-nonono, no, buddy that’s not what I meant! I know it’s not you, you’re okay!”<br/>
</p>
<p>“Yeah, Ko! It’s not you, Yuu’s just stupid!”<br/>
</p>
<p>“Hey!”<br/>
</p>
<p>Daichi shook his head. Keiji was right. It was definitely not Koutarou, not with that response. The guy hadn’t ever been great with lying or keeping secrets, anyway.<br/>
</p>
<p>He continued past the reactor, leaving all three yelling or sobbing or some combination of the two. The security door had been closed, he noted, entering the upper engine where the stench of bleach was prevalent. He slowed outside of the medbay, taking a deep breath before he pressed his hand to the lock and opened the door.<br/>
</p>
<p>Tadashi was standing next to the scanner, a scowl on his face, but what drew Daichi’s attention was the cot closest to the door. Tooru and Koushi were tangled up on the bed, Koushi sound asleep, Tooru running his hands through Koushi’s hair, a little smile on his lips. They looked peaceful, Koushi’s lips slightly parted, little breaths disturbing the silvery hair falling into his face.<br/>
</p>
<p>Daichi felt his heart stop in his chest.<br/>
</p>
<p>Tooru looked up sharply, pulling his hands from Koushi’s hair. “Captain Sawamura,” he started. “What do you need?”<br/>
</p>
<p>Daichi didn’t answer at first, turning to Tadashi. “Report to communications. Now.” Tadashi did so, grabbing his helmet and slapping the panel to close the door on the way out, a scowl still pinching his face.<br/>
</p>
<p>“What do you need?” Tooru asked again, sitting up a little more on the cot, disturbing Koushi enough to wake him up. The silver-haired medic rubbed his eyes sleepily, yawning.<br/>
</p>
<p>Daichi tried to stay on topic, to just ask about the murder, but in his infinite wisdom, all that came out of his mouth had nothing to do with the murder. “Are you together?” He blurted, and Tooru wrinkled up his nose.<br/>
</p>
<p>“That’s really what you’re here for,” Tooru asked incredulously, and Koushi blinked blearily beside him.<br/>
</p>
<p>“No, I--”<br/>
</p>
<p>“We’re cousins,” Koushi yawned.<br/>
</p>
<p>“You’re--incest?” Daichi asked, and Koushi and Tooru both stared at him with wide eyes.<br/>
</p>
<p>“No! We’re not together!” Tooru exclaimed, looking a little angry.<br/>
</p>
<p>“What exactly did you want?” Koushi asked, eyebrows creased. Daichi shook his head. Right. The murders.<br/>
</p>
<p>“Are you sure you don’t know who murdered Shuuichi?”<br/>
</p>
<p>Tooru and Koushi both blinked at him. “You’re really going to come into the medbay without an injury, accuse us of incest, and then follow it up with accusations of murder?” Tooru asked incredulously.<br/>
</p>
<p>Daichi rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. Yeah, not my best moment, he thought, trying desperately not to look at the medics. Koushi was still bleary from sleep, but there was no way he wouldn’t piece together what had happened once he finally woke up. Daichi shook his head.<br/>
</p>
<p>“Yes?”<br/>
</p>
<p>Tooru glared at him, venomous and angry, and his voice almost sounded deeper when he spoke again. “Get out.”<br/>
</p>
<p>So Daichi did, nearly stumbling out the door in his haste to leave. When the medbay doors shut behind him, he kept walking. It was only once he arrived back at navigation that he remembered what he was supposed to be asking. He flopped down into his chair, slamming his face on the desk.<br/>
</p>
<p>“So, I take it they didn’t confess?” Hajime’s smirk was clear in his voice, but Daichi didn’t really have the heart to respond to his jabs.<br/>
</p>
<p>“Not only do I have no clue who the imposter of a crewmate is,” he started, voice becoming a miserable groan as he continued. “Both of the medics hate my guts.”<br/>
</p>
<p>“I’m sure it can’t be that bad,” Keiji murmured, watching Daichi’s slumped form with a sympathetic look plastered onto his face. “If Sugawara really is as kind as you said, I’m sure he will forgive you.” Daichi’s pained groan was all the answer he needed to wince and turn his gaze to Hajime. “What did he do?” Keiji mouthed, Hajime’s grin only widening.<br/>
</p>
<p>“Did you accuse them of murder?”<br/>
</p>
<p>“Yes,” came the same pained voice.<br/>
</p>
<p>“What else did you do?”<br/>
</p>
<p>Daichi was silent for a moment, and then he was picking his face up, looking straight into Hajime’s eyes as he answered. “I accused them of incest.”<br/>
</p>
<p>Hajime froze, eyebrows nearly touching in his immense confusion. “How did you go from murder to incest.”<br/>
</p>
<p>“They were cuddling! And sleeping together! And I assumed, as any normal person would, that they were dating. But no! They’re cousins!”<br/>
</p>
<p>Hajime was quiet for a second. A very, very long second. “You mean they’re not dating?”<br/>
</p>
<p>“Exactly!” Daichi responded, slamming his fist on his terminal. “They’re apparently just very close family. There’s probably trauma behind it. I don’t know.”<br/>
</p>
<p>Keiji snorted. All eyes in the cockpit flew to him, and Keiji carefully schooled his expression into something a little more impartial. “Add trauma to the list of things you’ve accused them of.”<br/>
</p>
<p>Daichi made a strangled sound in the back of his throat, his face flaming as he hid it in his arms on his terminal. Hajime just laughed.<br/>
</p>
<p>Yeah, Daichi was sunk.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Shuuichi’s death made everyone skittish. It was for a good reason; no one knew who the murderer was, and no one seemed any closer to figuring it out than they had been during the meeting. It was already nearly three days post-murder. Who else was going to die?<br/>
</p><p>After Shuuchi’s death, the night cycle was less than restful. It was the worst part of the day, in Shouyou Hinata’s opinion. He’d always thought so, even before his fellow newbie’s orange suit had been painted red. That event had only solidified his belief.<br/>
</p><p>As such, he had a hard time actually falling asleep. The image of Shuuichi’s blood on the floor of the upper engine was burned into his brain. It was all he saw when he closed his eyes.<br/>
</p><p>So he came up with a plan. He would stay with Tobio or Lev twenty-four-seven. His bunk was directly above Tobio’s, and even if they had been mortal enemies literally days prior, at least he was close. Shouyou would get ready in the mornings with Tobio’s looming figure behind him, brushing their teeth in front of a mirror a little too tall for Shouyou and a little too short for Tobio. Then, they would either shower or head directly to breakfast in the cafeteria, where Shouyou would meet up with Lev. Lev would go to the communications room with him, because they both worked there. After their work was done, they would make their way up to admin so that Lev could say hi to Kenma and Kuroo, since they had been teammates prior to this flight. While Lev went to admin, Shouyou would stop at the restroom, located around the corner from admin, just to the right of the hallway in storage.<br/>
</p><p><i>Just out of sight of the security cameras,</i> Shouyou thought, but he pushed it back. He couldn’t very well ask anyone to stand outside the bathroom with him. That would be stupid. Besides, Lev and Kenma and Kuroo were right on the other side of the wall. There was no way anything would happen.<br/>
</p><p>Besides, he need not worry about that yet. It was only two in the morning for everyone at the Mirai HQ, the ship well into its night cycle. No one was awake, really. Shouyou could hear Tobio’s light snores below him, see Keiji and Koutarou on their bunks across the room, Koutarou on the bottom bunk after he’d rolled off the top one in his sleep and Keiji had forced him to switch bunks. Kenma was actually asleep for once, but it looked like it was by force, considering Kuroo had his arms wrapped around Kenma, almost as if keeping his arms pinned to his sides so he couldn’t play any games. Shouyou smiled at that, casting his eyes over to the bunks at the end of the room. The medics were sound asleep, and though they weren’t in the room, Shouyou knew the captain and pilot were asleep in their separate quarters, too. Lev had an arm hanging down off his bunk, but the bottom bunk was left unoccupied. Shuuichi is dead, Shouyou’s mind reminded him, and he felt a shiver go up his spine. That was a reminder he didn’t need, and all it did was make him even more skittish.<br/>
</p><p>But Shouyou needed to go to the bathroom. At two o’clock a.m. When everyone was asleep.<br/>
</p><p>So, Shouyou sat up, carefully shoving the blankets off, shivering in the cold air of the spaceship. He was only in a t-shirt and shorts, because spacesuits were not comfortable enough to wear to sleep. He climbed carefully down the ladder, hissing quietly at the cold of both the rungs and the floor. He made his way to the bathroom nearest to the sleeping quarters, noting that Kei was missing from his bunk. Tadashi was well asleep in the bottom bunk, body facing the wall.<br/>
</p><p>The bathroom next to the sleeping quarters was occupied. Shouyou bit his lip, staring from the door to the hallway which led to the cafeteria. There were bathrooms on the opposite side of the cafeteria, next to the medbay. It wasn’t that far, and after no one left the bathroom in five minutes, he made up his mind. He’d just have to make the trek to the bathroom across the cafeteria. </p><p>It wasn’t that far.<br/>
</p><p>It wasn’t that far.<br/>
</p><p>Shouyou slid the door to the cafeteria open, the emergency light in the cafeteria casting an eerie blue light across the tables and chairs. The shadows seemed to dance as he moved, and it did nothing to assuage the fear tickling the back of his neck. Still, the bathroom door was in sight. Just as his hand reached the handle, something grabbed his shoulder. A hand clamped down over his mouth, stopping his screams from leaving his mouth.<br/>
</p><p>Hinata’s heart flew up into his throat, pulse fluttering like a hummingbird’s.<br/>
</p><p>“Shh, no one needs to hear you scream, human,” a gravelly voice murmured. Something wet brushed over Shouyou’s neck. Water dripped down his face, blurring his vision. It took Shouyou too long to realize that those were tears and he was crying. The emergency light flickered. “This will be quick and painless.”<br/>
</p><p>That time, his fear-addled mind recognized the voice. “Tadashi?” The slightly altered voice shushed him again, hand clamping down more harshly. It hurt, but it couldn’t distract from the cold, wet, slimy thing wrapped around his neck. It got tighter, and before long, Shouyou found he couldn’t breath.<br/>
</p><p>Fear shot through him like a bullet, adrenaline making his pulse race. He clawed at his throat, kicking his legs out, trying in vain to escape. He tried to suck in a breath, thrashing weakly in the grasp of the murderer.<br/>
</p><p>Black spots began to dance in his vision. It was dark in the cafeteria, but somehow, the black of near-unconsciousness seemed darker. Shouyou felt his eyes flutter shut despite his attempts to keep them open, unable to pull any more air into his lungs.<br/>
</p><p>“BIN H! Release the human at once!” The hand moved, the pressure released.<br/>
</p><p>Shouyou gasped for air. It flooded his lungs, a cold rush of oxygen returning his vision. Tears dripped onto the floor in front of him, his limbs all shaking even as he scrambled to get away, to leave.<br/>
</p><p>The lights all came on sometime between Tadashi--or whatever it was--releasing him and Shouyou regaining air. A white spacesuit met him, and Shouyou couldn’t quite remember the medic’s name, especially not with the way his brain had just been completely deprived of oxygen.<br/>
</p><p>Then everyone flooded into the room. Tobio Kageyama, still dressed in his gray shorts and a navy t-shirt, was the first to run to Shouyou, grabbing him and scooping him off of the floor with actual worry written all over his face. Shouyou felt numb as Tobio’s hands wiped his face, noting that he’d been placed on a table at some point. The other medic was rushing over, this one in grey shorts and a white t-shirt, his gray hair askew. His hands came up to Shouyou’s neck, slowly, gently feeling over his neck, saying something about bruising to Tobio. Shouyou flinched away from the hands, the medic, and then Tobio was in his field of vision again. Tobio, who gently picked him up again, not once grumbling as Shouyou’s hands fisted in his shirt, as Shouyou got his shirt wet with silent tears, or even when Shouyou refused to let go once they got to the sleeping quarters again. He only laid down with Shouyou, hugging him, arms warm and the furthest thing from cold and slimy.<br/>
</p><p>Shouyou felt his eyes slipping closed again.<br/>
</p><p>This time, he didn’t fight it, Tobio’s steady heartbeat in his ears and Tobio’s arms around him and Tobio’s smell, regulation as it was, in his nose.<br/>
</p><p>He fell asleep.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Someone grab him!” Someone shouted, and chaos broke out in the cafeteria. Bin H—Tadashi Yamaguchi—was running away, down the medbay hallway. Tooru, Hajime, and Daichi were hot on his tail, all of them sprinting after him. Of course, Tadashi couldn’t win that chase, not in a confined ship with three people chasing him.<br/>
</p><p>There was no way he could write off nearly killing Shouyou.<br/>
</p><p>There was no way he could write off the dead body in the bathroom, either.<br/>
</p><p>So he stopped. He stopped dead in the hallway, and as Tooru and Hajime’s hands grabbed him, he shot a tendril at Tooru—<br/>
</p><p>—who caught it with his own.<br/>
</p><p>Hajime stared in shock, knocking Tadashi to the floor with a swift kick in the knees. “What the fu—”<br/>
</p><p>“It’s not what it looks like!” Someone shouted, and none other than Koushi Sugawara came running around the corner, an arm outstretched. “Tooru didn’t kill anyone, he would never, and neither would Earl, and—”<br/>
</p><p>“Who the hell is Earl?” Daichi shouted. Hajime stepped on Tadashi’s back, pinning him to the floor, angrily, confusedly staring at Tooru, Koushi, and Daichi.<br/>
</p><p>“Earl is a friendly parasite!”<br/>
</p><p>“Not a parasite!” Tooru yelped. “Geez, not a parasite! Okay!”<br/>
</p><p>Everyone went silent for a moment. It felt like a video buffering, the little rainbow-swirl mouse spinning mockingly in the middle of the screen.<br/>
</p><p>Then everything snapped into place for Daichi and Hajime.<br/>
</p><p>“The parasites got loose,” Daichi said, eyes wide. “You mean to tell me that during the power outage of the very first day, you, Yamaguchi, and someone else got inhabited?”<br/>
</p><p>“The someone else was me, Captain,” Koushi said, and this time, a white tendril seemed to sprout from Koushi’s arm, taking the crude form of a human hand, waving. Daichi made a strange sound, something halfway between a scream and a laugh, muted as if he knew he shouldn’t react. “Please don’t be afraid! We haven’t hurt anyone, and Earl and Benji—my buddy—are very polite.”<br/>
</p><p>Hajime still appeared as though he had seen a ghost. “Then, you knew? You knew Tadashi killed Shuuichi?”<br/>
</p><p>Tooru and Koushi both looked away, and then Koushi was hurriedly speaking. “We didn’t know until after it happened! I still didn’t have control back over my body, Tooru was panicking, and then we realized that Tadashi’s parasite—not Tadashi himself—killed Shuuichi and I knew we had to figure out how to separate the host from the buddy without killing either, but I couldn’t, and—”<br/>
</p><p>“What Koushi is trying to say is that we didn’t have any way to stop Parasite H from killing Shuuichi. We’ve been monitoring him closely since then. That’s why we were napping in the medbay, if you must know, Sawamura.”<br/>
</p><p>Daichi looked pale, shaking his head. “They warned us that the bins might malfunction if they lost power. When I went back, the locks were engaged. I assumed they were fine. If it was to malfunction, our job as the captain and two pilots was to bond with the parasites.” Koushi and Tooru both flinched. “I should’ve known—”<br/>
</p><p>“You couldn’t have known. Besides, they were supposed to be harmless,” Hajime said, turning to face Koushi and Tooru. “You two should’ve come forward when you knew Tadashi’s parasite murdered Shuuichi.”<br/>
</p><p>“We had no way of knowing there were even supposed to be non-human lives on the ship! We didn’t know if you would just murder us or what!” Tooru snapped, glaring at Hajime.<br/>
</p><p>“Okay, well, what are we doing with Tadashi?”<br/>
</p><p>Everyone fell silent. Then, Daichi spoke up. “Hajime. Tooru. Restrain him. Bring him back to the cafeteria. Koushi, with me.”<br/>
</p><p>Everyone did as told, Koushi following hesitantly behind the captain. It was quiet for a moment, just the sounds of footsteps on the metal beneath their feet echoing down the hallway. “You have Bin G, I take it?”<br/>
</p><p>Koushi nodded. “Why did you think I killed Shuuichi?”<br/>
</p><p>“The medbay is right next to the upper engine. You should’ve heard something.”<br/>
</p><p>Koushi nodded, but it didn’t stop him from feeling a sharp pang in his chest. Benji scuttled forward in his mind, a tendril wrapping around Koushi’s wrist like Benji was attempting to hug him. He smiled to himself, for a second, before something clicked in his mind. “Kei lied.”<br/>
</p><p>“What?”<br/>
</p><p>“Kei confirmed that Tadashi never went back up to the upper engine.”<br/>
</p><p>Daichi went silent, not answering until they made it back to the cafeteria. Everyone sat immediately when Daichi entered the cafeteria, save for Shouyou and Tobio, who Koushi had sent back to bed.<br/>
</p><p>Everyone except Kei Tsukishima.<br/>
</p><p>“No one leave. Hajime, Tooru, keep hold of Tadashi. Koushi, go check on Tobio and Shouyou. Keiji, Koutarou, go search the ship for Kei.” Everyone was still. “Now,” Daichi barked, and everyone who was called upon leapt into action.<br/>
</p><p>The seconds ticked by slowly. Koushi popped back in after a few seconds to report that Tobio and Shouyou were fast asleep. The two did not return. Five minutes passed. Still no sign of the search party.<br/>
</p><p>Then, finally, Koutarou returned. He was white as a sheet, immediately sitting down once he returned, shaking his head when Kuroo asked him a question. Kuro looked to Daichi, getting a nod before he walked down the hallway the direction from which Koutarou came.<br/>
</p><p>Keiji and Kuroo returned. Koushi was stiff as a board next to Daichi, Tooru in the same state where he stood next to Tadashi and Hajime.<br/>
It stank of death.<br/>
Between Kuro and Keiji was the limp body of none other than Kei Tsukishima.<br/>
</p><p>“Tadashi. How could you?” Kuroo said, voice hoarse. “He was your best friend.” The Tadashi who looked back at him wasn’t the same Tadashi Kei had fallen for, head over heels. Kuroo was sure of it. The Tadashi looking back at him now looked hollow. His eyes were dull, unseeing, staring through him yet stopping short all at the same time. Kuroo jerked his gaze away, carefully taking hold of Kei’s body, loading it into the trash chute with the help of Keiji. Kuroo grabbed Kei’s glasses, fixing them on his face. It wouldn’t matter, not in space, but Kuro couldn’t help it.<br/>
</p><p>Kei hated being without his glasses.<br/>
</p><p>They pulled the chute’s lever, tears streaming down Kuroo’s face. Tsukishima had been a new recruit, and he hadn’t known him that well, but it still hurt to see him leave like that.<br/>
</p><p>“Get rid of him,” Kuroo growled, not even looking at Tadashi. “He’s already gone.”<br/>
</p><p>Daichi nodded his assent, and it felt like watching in slow-motion as Koushi grabbed Daichi’s hand, tears pooling in his eyes, whimpering about how it wasn’t Tadashi, it’s the stupid parasite, he doesn’t deserve this. Tadashi didn’t even struggle as Tooru and Hajime walked him toward the chute, not saying anything as they shoved him into it. Lev’s shock was almost tangible, the way his mouth was wide open, eyes wide but unseeing. Kenma grabbed onto one of Kuro’s arms, offering silent support.<br/>
</p><p>It was simultaneously too loud and too quiet as the lever was pulled, ejecting Tadashi off into space.<br/>
</p><p>Koushi was glad there were no windows.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Tooru! We’re going to be late!” Koushi called over his shoulder, zipping the white bag in front of him closed. The medbay at Mirai HQ was finally packed up, all except for Tooru’s personal effects. A white tentacle shot from Koushi’s wrist, grabbing the bag and holding it aloft. “Thank you, Benji,” Koushi said, before he turned to head out the door.</p><p>“Kou-chan, wait up!” Tooru whined, dashing through the now-empty medbay with a half-zipped bag slung over his shoulder. Earl was refusing to help, evidently, because Tooru was struggling, and Earl never struggled when he was in at least partial control of him.
	</p><p>“What’d you do to Earl?” Koushi asked, keeping pace with Tooru as they walked through the old Mirai HQ. It was bustling with activity, squads of monochromatic astronauts making their trips to and from loading bays. Of course, it wasn’t Mirai HQ anymore, the organization having been disbanded after its terrible treatment of both its employees and the polarians.
	</p><p>“Nothing,” Tooru huffed, finally zipping his bag the rest of the way. “He’s just mad because Iwa-chan is going to be on this mission.”
	</p><p>Koushi shook his head, a slight smile on his lips. “I’m glad Benji likes everyone.”
	</p><p>Tooru was quiet for a second. “Earl says he doesn’t like Iwa because he bullies me. He doesn’t mean it seriously,” he grumbled, tightening his hold on his bag. 
	</p><p>“Well, regardless, I’m excited to see everyone again,” Koushi said. Their ship came into view, dubbed the MSBYBJ, or as everyone called it, The Jackal. It was pitch black on the outside, just like the Karasuno had been, but this ship was structured vastly differently. The security system was upgraded, and hallways were shorter. Lights were brighter, even in the night cycle, and there were windows on that spaceship. Koushi was excited about the windows.
	</p><p>At the base of the ship was their crew, all wearing identical black-and-white suits, save for a stripe of color on each one. Shouyou had an orange stripe, Tobio’s was blue, Kenma and Kuroo had red, and so on. There were a few new members to the crew, replacements for their fallen crewmates and an extra to help with the added tasks on their ship. Kiyoomi Sakusa and the Miya twins took over their spaces.
	</p><p>“Hey! Suga,” Shouyou called, bouncing up and down with excitement as always. Koushi couldn’t help but smile, ruffling his red hair.
	</p><p>“Hey, Hinata,” he replied, and then the hyperactive once-newbie shot off to talk to the others.
	</p><p>“Koushi! You took the job!” Daichi. Suga turned quickly, his face breaking into another grin.
	</p><p>“Yeah, I did,” he said. An awkward silence filled the air, Daichi averting his eyes.
	</p><p>And then Benji had a brilliant idea. The polarian’s tentacles shot out, grabbing Daichi and shoving him into Koushi. Air was knocked out of their lungs, both of them shouting in surprise.
	</p><p>“Hey, hey, hey! I want an octopus hug,” Koutarou shouted, and in the blink of an eye, the entire crew piled into the hug, Benji wrapping everyone together.
	</p><p>Koushi hadn’t expected this.
</p><p>This exceeded the expectation.</p>
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